In todays, digital age, tracking and analyzing your website users interactions has become crucial for website owners and businesses. Once you get traffic to your affiliate blog, its hard to tell who’s coming from where if you do not have a click tracking software.
Utilizing a click tracking software can help you gain insights to user behavior, measure the effectiveness of your links, button, and elements. As a result you have the ability to make data driven decisions to optimize your website perfromance.
In this article you will discover at least 10 free click tracking software’s that you can utilize to enhance your online presence. Let’s dive in and discover the perfect click tracking solution for your needs.
Free Traffic Tracking Software For Your Affiliate Website
Google Analytics Tracking Software
Google analytics is a free tool provided by Google. It allows you to analyze and track various aspects of your website performance. By utilizing this tool, you can get insights of the following:
- Ability analyze your website traffic
- Learn your user behavior
- Track and measure website conversions
- Google Analytics can also be integrated with other services such as Google Tag Manager
- Best of all you’ll have access to real time reporting
Overall, Google Analytics will help you make more informed decisions, while optimizing your website performance. It also allows you to improve your user experience which can enhance your websites growth. Therefore, if you’re goal is to achieve website improvements, taking advantage of Google Analytics is a must have tool.
In fact, Google offers a free self paced class that will help explain how the Google Analytics 4 can help you and your website. In there free courses, they will teach you how to set up GA4 property for your business or website.
The good news is this course is for beginners all the up to advanced users. As a beginner you would start with the course called “Discover The Next Generation Of Google Analytics.”
Use Google Tag Manager For Your Marketing Campaigns
Yes, Google Tag Manager can be used to track clicks on your affiliate website. It also can help you customize your marketing campaigns.
Without Google Tag Manager, you will have to install pixel codes or snippets which are also called “Marketing Tags.” into your theme editor.
Installing these codes would require your to customize them to your needs. So that they can help you track the source of any interaction on your website. Eventually, after you install many scripts, pixel codes, and so on. It just becomes a hot mess. Everything starts to look the same, and your left with confusion.
So, that’s when Google Tag Manager comes into play. With Google Tag Manage you only have to install one marketing tag. After that you’ll setup custom tracking within your Google Tag Manger account.
The tracking is called “Triggers” which are basically rules of what you want to track on your website.
As a result, your marketing campaigns becomes a lot easier to understand and plus more organized.
Besides, each tag installed directly on your WordPress website, can require additional HTTP request such as JavaScript or CSS files. This can not only give poor user experience but, it can also impact your websites performance.
Therefore the advantage of Google Tag Manager is supposed to help speed up the load time of your website pages due to the fact that GTM loads separately from everything else.
This can help increase your overall core web vitals.
Moreover Google Tag Manger, it passes valuable data from your website to your Google Analytics account. It can even pass data to other third part tools.
You should consider using GTM because not only is it a free Google product but, it claims to be secure, reliable, and can easily integrate a GTM container snippet into the HTML of your website.
For years, I never took advantage of using the Google Tag Manager because, it just looked like a big headache waiting to happen.
Just this year I’ve decided to crack down and learn how to use it properly, and you can do the same. Google offers a free course called Google Tag Manager Fundamentals.
If you don’t take the previously mentioned class before Jul 1, 2023 – then you will need to head over to the Google Analytics 4 course. Either way, these free courses can save you hundreds of dollars because, that’s exactly what you’ll be paying if you need to invest into a paid Google Tag Manger course.
Below you’ll find an easy to follow along video that explains how Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager can benefit for you, your users, and your website.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools, is another powerful tool thats recommended to use as well. This tool can help you learn about your websites visibility. It also provides further data that related to your website is currently indexing, and which keywords or search queries are driving traffic to your website.
If you want to know the difference between Google Analytics and Google Search Console it simple. Google Analytics helps you analyze yoru website visitors behavior. While Google Search Conole focuses on search related data and any technical issues that you might be experiencing with your webiste.
By taking advantage of both of these tools Google Search Console and Google Analytics, you will have more comprehensive view of your websites performance which helps you make more informed decisions. Besides that its no cost to you.
Bing Webmaster Tools
Most affiliate marketers focus on Google’s search traffic because, it is currently the largest search engine globally. However, Bing isn’t too far behind. They are the second largest search engine. Therefore, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity in capturing Bing’s search traffic.
Bing Webmaster Tool is similar to Google Analytics and Google Search Console combined. This is a unique tool, that’s provided by Microsoft’s Search Engine. You’ll be able to analyze backlinks, keywords, to help you improve your page rankings and Bing’s search engine results.
Bing has the ability to crawl your website, and index your content quicker. They also have a feature called Microsoft Clarity, that helps you understand your webiste visitors a little deeper by utilizing a heatmap. This helps you understand your users pain points, and it can tell you if the user is experiencing any frustration while visitor your website. With this information, you’ll be on the road to improve any errors, that you may have.
A Tracking Tool For Retargeting Pixels
If you want to follow and understand what people are doing on your website, then using a pixel code can be used to your advantage. This pixel code gets loaded behind the scenes and it quietly keeps an eye on what action your users are taking. It’ll track things like what pages your website visits, did they add anything to your shopping cart, and make a purchase.
After collecting all of this data, the pixel saves the information and uses it later to show personalized ads to those same website visitors. The personalized ads will not only show up on your WordPress website, but, they’ll also follow the website visitor to other platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Tiktok an so on. The point of the pixel is remind and encourage the visitor to make a purchase.
The bottom line here is that if you want to utilize a feature like this PixelYourSite has a free option.
PixelYourSite
PixelYourSite is a plugin created by Cristian Stoicescu, whose also the founder of Consent Magic. With this plugin, you’ll have the option of the free version or a paid version.
If you need to track Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Analytics, Google Ads, and so on. Then you should look further into this option. The plugin is considered to be pretty powerful with all the retargeting options that you’re given.
If you’d like to check out their free otpion, you can visit WordPress Plugin.
Affiliate Link Trackers
Tracking your affiliate links helps you monitor their performance. With tracking you’ll learn which ones are working effectively, and whihc ones aren’t working at all. Furthermore, it helps you measure the number of clicks, conversions, and or sales that are generated from each affiliate link. Having this data can help you understand which affiliate links, are performing well and which ones you need to optimize.
Tracking With Bit.ly
By now, if you’ve been on the internet for a while, you’re probably familiar with Bit.ly. It’s a very popular URL link shortener and it allows you take very long and hideous links, and turn them into more shorter readable links.
Typically, this links are found on YouTube descriptions. There frequently used on social media platforms, and sometimes in emails. You can even use them on your affiliate blog, or in offline advertising material.
Regardless, if Bit.ly isn’t familiar to you, then no worries, they’re a well-known company that has been established since 2008.
It’s probably one of the most used URL shorteners in the marketing space.
With Bit.ly you’ll get:
- 50 customer halfbacks (meaning you can place a word at the end of each bit.ly link)
- Shorten up to 1000 links each month
- Unlimited clicks
- 30-day link history
Rebrandly Another Way To Track Your Clicks
Rebrandly has many plan options and a free plan is one of them.
In any event, Rebrandly is one of the industry leaders when it comes to a link management platform to brand your domain, track clicks, and shorten URLs.
Rebrandly recommends that you always use your own custom domain because, it will help you build your domain reputation, instead of someone else’s.
With Rebrandly you’ll get:
- Up to 5000 tracked clicks per month
- Up to 5 customer domains
- Up to 500 branded links
- Fire retargeting links
- Manage 404 redirects
Track A Link With RB.GY
Need a fast URL shortener? RB.GY is a website that you can use. The cool part about this website, is they even give you a free QR code to go along with your quickly created shortened URL.
The good news is that RB.Gy is a service provided to you at no costs. It’s also powered by Rebrandly. According to RB.GY, it’s the best alternative to Tiny URL and Bit.ly because, those guys have more limitations than RB.GY. If interested check them out and see how they can help you with your click tracking.
TinyURL
Here’s another URL shortener TinyURL which happens to be a bit older than Bit.ly. They’ve been around since 2002. Like other URL shortners TinyURL helps simplify and optimize your currently long URLS.
The reason for shortening a URL can be for many purposes such as URLS that are long, are harder to remember. They also tend to be shared less. And sometimes each platform has a limited characteristic limit. Sharing shorter URLs can help you out in this situation.
TinyURL Link Shortener will get you:
- Unlimited shortened URLS
- Unlimited clicks
- Your Personalized vanity link
- Or use customer alternative domains
- And your link tracking history is kept for 30 days
WordPress Plugin Link Tracking Software
Pretty Links Lite
Pretty links lite is for WordPress users. In other words, you must have a website.
I’ve used the free version of this plugin for several years. So far, it works pretty well. This plugin can track, the dates of your tracks, the amount of times your unique affiliate link was clicked. By taking advantage of this plugin, you will be able to use your current domain name as the link shortener.
My advice would be to organize your affiliate links from the start.
Once you have hundreds of links, articles, pages, and posts on your webiste things can get out of hand. So, by planning ahead, this helps you stay organized and keeps your headaches to a minimum.
ThristyAffiliates
The name sounds a little skeptical right?
Worry none, because, ThirstyAffiliates is owned by CaseProof, LLC. It’s the same company that owns Pretty Links.
In fact, many well-known bloggers use this plug-in
- You can track clicks
- Date, and customer domain. Although operated separately, up until this article, I’ve always used Pretty Links but, I think I’ll be installing ThirstyAffiliates on this blog, and give it a try.
ThirstyAffiliate Link Tracker Update:
I’ve installed ThristyAffiliates and quickly learned that it’s not compatible to all themes. For whatever reason it would not work on my Elementor page builder but, it would work with my current theme. I’ve also learned that ThristyAffiliates doesn’t seem as user friendly as PrettyLinks.
BetterLinks, is another plugin that I’ve tried it. It’s super sleek. I spent over 1 hour setting up my current links that I wanted it to track and unforunatualey, when I logged in the next day, the plugin had deleted everything.
Either way, both URL prettylinks and thirsty link shortener offers a free and paid version. The difference is the user-friendliness, and the paid version price. ThristyAffiliates paid version is more affordable than Prettylinks.
Keep in mind you can stay on the no cost plan for as long as you like. I have never upgraded with either plan.
In addition to that, ThirstyAffiliates plug-in is compatible with Google Tag Manager, and it offers many features.
- It has an automatic 404 checker.
- You can imports Amazon API and display the Amazon disclosure
Last time I checked PrettyLinks does not offer any Amazon features but, again I’ve only used the free version.
Anyhow, according to ThirstyAffiliates website, they offer more features to its Pro members than its sister company.
Want to learn more about link cloaking? Watch their video below…
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Is Click Tracking Software?
Click tracking software is a tool that helps you analyze data. Such as your sales, clicks, add to carts, and so on. It’s designed to help improve your user experience and optimize your websites performance by identifying any areas that user engages with and the areas that they don’t engage with.
How Do I Track Clicks On My Website?
There are several ways to analyze clicks on your WordPress website. Software that tracks clicks come in free and paid versions. Here are some common plugins that many affiliates use, Monster Insights, ClickMagick, Google Site Kits, Hot Jar, Crazy Egg or any other free options that is listed on this page.
Final Thoughts Of Free Click Tracking Software
Although, there’s many free affiliate marketing tools that you can use.
Using a brandable link shortener should be something that you have in your affiliate tool box.
As a recap, of what we’ve learned in this article they’re beneficial to you because, they help you brand your own domain.
This is very important, especially, in the beginning stages of building your website.
If you disguise your domain name behind an URL shortener, it’ll be more difficult to raise your brand awareness.
No one will recognize your domain. And no one will want to click on your URL.
They’ll be skeptical.
Once your website visitors recognize your branded domain, they’ll begin to trust your website more.
Unlike other URL shorteners, you’re the owner of any short branded links that you create.
The bottom line is, if you share your domain all over the internet and use a URL shortener you aren’t branding your own website.
And for SEO purpose, plus brand awareness that’s not a good.
Instead, you’ll be branding the URL shortener website.
Making the other companies URL website stronger, while not building a trustworthy reputation for your own website.
The more people trust and recognize your branded domain, the more they will interact with your website. So, I would recommend using a branded URL shortener.
As the saying goes, what doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get managed. Please manage your links before they get out of control.
Did you know that there are learn while you earn communities out there?
Do you know of any other free click tracking software’s out there? Please be generous and share in the comments below. Thanks for reading. J
